After Tiny, our very docile
snapping turtle was seen on the wall of the large pen he was in (see pictures
on the Musk,
Mud, and Snapping Turtles Pictures page ), we decided to install a
muddy water feature just for him. We had put off installing this experimental
water feature for some time; we waited too long to keep Tiny around, but
Tinytwo enjoyed it for several years.

Before we show you
how we made this water feature, lets look at some pictures of the finished
product. Then we will describe how we made it. The picture above was taken
in the first year of use. The next four pictures show it in the second
year of use completely naturalized. In pic 4 the muddy pool is located
at the end of the brick walkway at the top of the picture. The rock is
setting in the outlet of the pool. So when Tinytwo wanted to move to the
pond, it is just a short walk between the two.

Before there was
a TurtleTails.com, we were experimenting with water bowls. We place
box turtles and water turtles in the same pens. Water turtles are good
at exiting water, but box turtles can be clumsy. We were placing river
stones in rubber bowls for the young turtles to use. We figured cleaning
would be much easier if the stones were not needed. So we cut a bowl to
make a sloping bottom for a more natural exit. It worked but the depression
in the ground in which it set needed constant attention. Our muddy pool
builds on this idea.

It is also important
for you to know that snapping turtles spend most of their lives buried
in mud. In spring snapping turtles will enter shallow water and bask with
just their carapaces (top shells) out of water. Some will perch high on
logs to bask in summer. But most of the time they are buried in mud under
shallow water. Tiny did not have mud so he would bury himself in loose
soil or in the leaf pile and just enter the pond to eat.

Another idea we
long held but had not attempted was to build a small water feature like
a spring or seep concealed in tall vegetation. It did not have to be a
flowing stream pouring into a pond. It was an idea we planned to try one
day.

Then one day our
hot water heater died and was replaced. The old hot water heater was available
but for what. You know by now that we like to experiment with inexpensive
items. Well the old heater was now scrap to be discarded and ideal for
no cost experimentation. Hot water tanks are glass lined on the inside
to prevent rust so the old tank had possibilities.

The outer jacket
was cut away and the foam insulation scraped off. It was work and the work
was questioned many times. Still we had to play with it off and on until
just the tank remained. The thought in mind was to use it like a trough
for baby turtles. A line was drawn to cut off most of one side. The cutting
was done with an abrasive cutoff wheel in a right angle grinder. After
the cutting was done it was given a coat of black paint, holes plugged,
and set on blocks. It was not at all attractive.

After setting behind
the shed for some time, we came up with plan B. We would cut it on an angle
removing the bottom completely. It was propped up and filled with water
to establish the cutting line just the way we did with the rubber bowl.
We were disappointed with the result and never took a picture of the final
shape. It went back behind the shed again.

When we needed to
do something to try to convince Tiny to hang around, the tank was quickly
buried and filled with soil and water. No pictures were taken. It was too
little too late; Tiny had departed. Then Tinytwo moved into it.

In the fall when
it was time to take Tinytwo inside for the winter, the heavy soil in it
had caked around Tinytwo more firmly than we expected. We made plans to
refill it with softer soil in the spring.

What we had learned
the first summer was that all our plans worked. The snapping turtle was
content in water covered mud. Other turtles could enter and exit it without
any difficulty. It looked natural. And the deep shade prevented algae from
making an unsightly mess out of it. In fact we had no algae at all.

So in spring we
emptied the tank in place and refilled it with fresh compost made from
our own yard waste. Water was added making a muddy pool. Into it we added
one clean still sleepy snapping turtle who quickly disappeared in it. The
surrounding garden plants grew tall almost concealing it from view. After
a questionable start with the tank, we were very pleased with the results.

We do not try to
grow bog or marginal plants in the pool. Besides being heavily shaded,
the snapping turtle would destroy them. The plants surrounding the pool
were lily tuffs and day lilies. The stones at the exit end were just for
decoration.

When we needed to
add water, we just used a hose or sprinkling can. A mosquito treatment
was used as needed. Other than that, it was not cleaned. Nothing was done
to prepare it for winter.

Food was placed
in the water for Tinytwo. Sometimes he was ready to eat and other times
the food remained until after dark. Snappers are often nocturnal and have
an excellent sense of smell. Most food disappeared by the next morning.
We also took a small stone and rapped on the edge of the steel tank to
signal to him that we had placed food in the water.

We kept a small
stick nearby to probe the mud for the snapping turtle. Tinytwo does not
like to be handled and he snaps vigorously. We did like to check on his
location. Sometimes we had to dig him out to show him to visitors who requested
to see him.

We find that putting
turtles outside in pens does not change their personalities; they do not
"go wild". As Tinytwo's personality developed while in an aquarium, he
became less comfortable in close proximity to the other turtles in the
aquarium. After being outside for a summer he disappeared for nine months
including hibernation. When we found him and dug him out from under a vine
covered stump intended as a hiding place, we placed him in water to eat.
He immediately raced back to his hole where he stayed for another two weeks.
For not having eaten for nine and one half months, he did not look like
he missed any meals.

Now Tinytwo eats
a few times a week, not nearly as often as the daily feeding of our other
water turtles. This also means he is not growing as fast as we know snapping
turtles can grow. As long as he is healthy we are happy. He is given all
he wants to eat when he moves to the pond.

We hope we have
inspired you to try building your own unconventional low cost water or
mud features for your mud loving turtles or other reptiles or amphibians.
Granted you will not see them as often. You will also not spend time trying
to keep water clear and clean for mud lovers and you will also not use
much water. So have some fun creating something unconventional that looks
entirely natural.

We hope you enjoyed
our twenty-first behind-the-scenes tour. More tours and more ideas are
coming.

P.S. We have often mentioned how some of
our turtles seem to know when we are preparing a new tour and get into
the act. Tinytwo must somehow have known we were writing about him. He
visited the pond everyday to eat for each of the few days we were working
on this tour. After eating he slipped back to his muddy pool before we
remembered to get our camera. Could they really know?